The Son of a Genius. New Edition, Carefully Revised and Enlarged by the Author

London: John Harris..., 1832. 12mo (in 6s), 140 x 87 mms., pp. iv [5] - 252, engraved frontispiece,contemporary quarter sheepskin, marbled boards (rubbed). tilt label; corners worn and binding a bit shabby. This novel for children was to prove the author's most popular publication: Barbara Hofland [née Wreaks] (1770 - 1844) published about 60 novels in her lifetime, and most of them were reprinted at least once. "In Son of a Genius, the lesson which Hofland stresses with more urgency than any other is the importance of keeping receipts. Ludovico finds a receipt, seeks for its owner, and when he is able to return it to him, is rewarded with two guineas. This much is the conventional 'honesty rewarded' episode of so many moral tales. But Hofland goes much further. Not only does Ludovico go through the rest of the tale insisting on receipts from everyone he deals with, thereby cementing the lesson.., but Mr. Higgins, who had lost the original receipt, explains just why this piece of paper is so valuable to him" (online: https://hockliffe.dmu.ac.uk/items/0138.html). OCLC gives a pagination of vii, [1], 171, [1] p., [1] leaf of plates : ill. so this must be a different issue. Moon, M. Harris (1992),; 373(8)